Korea and six African countries have agreed to further expand joint efforts in the agricultural sector.

On Feb. 21, the Rural Development Administration (RDA) brought together agricultural experts from the governments of Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Zimbabwe to discuss ways to further increase exchanges of farming technologies.

The four-day talks allowed the participants along with Korean experts to assess projects that have been carried out in these six nations from 2013 through to 2016. They also came up with new ways to expand agricultural cooperation in the years to come.

As agreed at the talks, the RDA will pursue the goal of “increasing agricultural productivity in 14 villages in these six African countries by the end of 2018” by expanding the range of farming knowhow put into use in those locations and by increasing training programs for farmers there.

The governments also vowed to develop seeds that are easier to grow in land there and, also, to improve the supply system of those seeds. More joint efforts will be made to produce good harvests of rice and corn, in particular, among other crops, as well as to share knowhow on the storage and distribution of seeds. The Korean government also plans to publish a set of books that lists data useful for agriculture in each respective environment.

By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: The Rural Development Administration
jiae5853@korea.kr